[Press release on EAAFP Side Event at CBD COP 12 in Pyeongchang]

East Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP), together with its Partners - Ramsar Convention Secretariat, CBD Secretariat and Birdlife International - convened a side-event at CBD COP 12 in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea on 14^th October to present a proposed new initiative on coastal wetland restoration, entitled Caring for Coasts. Spike Millington, Chief Executive of EAAFP chaired the event.

David Coates of the CBD Secretariat talked of the importance of preserving the coast and the ecosystem services arising from the coastal zone. He was followed by Christopher Briggs, Secretary-General of Ramsar on a global partnership for wetland restoration. Spike Millington described the critical need for coastal wetland conservation and restoration along the East Asian- Australasian Flyway and Yasukuni Shibata, Senior Policy Coordinator, Ministry of Environment of Japan explained the linkages between coastal restoration and disaster risk reduction with examples from Japan and USA.

Finally, Cristi Nowaza of Birdlife International introduced the Caring for Coasts initiative and invited CBD Parties and other interested Partners to take up this initiative and identify and prepare a program of work to meet the Caring for Coasts objectives, Countries could choose to become regional or global champions of the initiative. There followed a wide-ranging discussion on coastal restoration and the role of concerned and relevant institutions.

On 15^th October, the CBD Working Group on Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration approved the following paragraph:

Emphasizing the critical importance of coastal wetlands for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, in particular for migratory bird species, sustainable livelihoods, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, invites Parties to give due attention to the conservation and restoration of coastal wetlands, and, in this context, welcomes the work of the Ramsar convention and other initiatives that support the conservation and restoration of coastal wetlands including options to build a Caring for Coasts Initiative, as part of a global movement to restore coastal wetlands;

Contact:
Spike Millington, Chief Executive, EAAFP
chief@eaaflyway.net +82-32-458-6509

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©Roger Jaensch for the Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation

Caring for Coasts : A new Initiative for Coastal Wetland Restoration was adopted by CBD Parties at COP 12 in Republic of Korea on 14th October 2014. EAAFP, together with its Partners – Ramsar Convention Secretariat, CBD Secretariat, Government of Japan and Birdlife International, highlighted this initiative at a side-event at CBD COP 12 and have subsequently been involved in discussions with the CBD Secretariat and other countries to support Caring for Coasts.
There is a critical need for coastal wetland conservation and restoration along the EAAF. Caring for Coasts invites CBD Parties and other interested Partners to take up this initiative and identify and prepare a Program of Work to meet the Caring for Coast objectives. Countries could choose to become regional or global champions of the initiative. The linkages between coastal restoration and disaster risk reduction can also be highlighted for the benefit of habitat conservation not only for biodiversity but also people dependent upon them.